Misato's Christmas Party
by Shinji Muyo
Summary: Written by Steve Pardue ie NOT ME; WAFFy little fic involving Rei and Shinji at funny enough, Misato's Christmas Party
1. Default Chapter

Poster's Notes: Alright, this is not written by me, but I found it on my hard drive gathering dust and remembered how good it was. Everyone complains there aren't enough Shinji/Rei fics with an actual happy ending so I'm posting this. If there are later chapters that I've managed to miss, e-mail them to me and I'll add them. Or even better, someone get a hold of Steve Pardue and tell him to finish this story!!!! Everything below this point was written by the author and not been altered in any way except for formatting purposes.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Well, let's see.  
  
I rewrote Rei's scene in front of the apartment door, and the scene  
between Rei and Shinji in front of the Christmas tree. I tried to make  
them more 'evaesque'.  
  
The most frequent criticism I got was that Rei was out of character. Of  
course, if you feel that Rei and Shinji getting togather is OOC, then  
there is noting I can do to this fic to help, but if it was just that dialog  
I  
had, then this might help.  
  
Or it might just be wierd and disjointed. But then, who can tell with  
Evangelion?  
  
Please let me know what you think.  
  
If you just want to read the changed scenes, start at Rei leaning her head  
against the apartment door. About 2/3 of the way down.  
  
As always, Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters are the property  
of Gainax, an I'm pretty sure I have no right to be doing this.  
  
Misato's Christmas Party  
------------------------  
Shinji and Asuka stood in the door, staring at the fir tree in the  
living room. From the hall closet came the sounds of boxes being moved.  
Misato emerged in her usual after-work attire, cutoffs and a tank top,  
carrying several boxes stacked precariously in her arms.  
"I knew I kept these decorations when I moved! Shinji - you better  
hurry and get this place cleaned up. Our guests will be here in a couple  
of hours." Misato picked up a beer from the table and took a long  
swallow.  
Shinji's face dropped. "Guests? When did you decide to have a  
party?".  
Misato finished off her beer and wiped the foam from her mouth,  
and smirked. "Why yesterday of course, when my three pilots told me how  
much they needed one!" She lowered her voice and stared at Asuka and  
Shinji. "You didn't *seriously* think I was going to let the three of  
you get away with that 'I don't want to celebrate Christmas' crap did  
you? Besides, you can't trim the tree without a party. Say - where's  
Rei? Why isn't she here to help?"  
Asuka - who had been silently staring at the tree - turned and  
gave Misato a disgusted look. "*How* much have you been drinking? She  
doesn't live here, you know! And we just found out about your stupid  
party!"  
Misato hiccuped and lifted her nose at Asuka. "I haven't had any  
more to drink than usual." She had a hurt look on her face. Shinji and  
Asuka both rolled their eyes.  
"Hey - why are you two doing that!" Misato put her beer back on  
the table and placed her hands on her hips. "Stop goofing off and get to  
work! Shinji, clean this place up! And Asuka - go call Rei!"  
"She said she had something to do tonight."  
"Then go find her!"  
"But why should *I* have to go get her! I'm not the one who's  
always mooning after her and peeping at her in her swimsuit! That's what  
Shinji's for!"  
"Uh-hey! I don't do that! I do not peep at my fellow pilots in  
their swimsuits!"  
Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Oh! So you peep at us without our  
swimsuits?"  
"Yes - I mean, no! No!"  
Misato got another beer out of the refrigerator. After living with  
the two of them for a while, she was used to their bickering. "Now, now  
Asuka." She flourished her hand in the girl's direction. "If you don't  
hurry and get Rei,you won't have time to get ready before Kaji gets  
here."  
"Kaji? Kaji! He's coming?" Asuka asked excitedly.  
"Well of course! And so is Ritsuko, Hikari, Touji, Kensuke . . . "  
Asuka was out the door before Misato could finish. Shinji had been  
picking up Misato's empty beer cans from the table. His face got  
gloomier as her list of guests continued to grow.  
"Do you think you have enough alcohol in the apartment for that  
many guests?" he asked sarcastically.  
"Don't be silly, Shinji. Of course not! I'm having more  
delivered." She looked guilty for a moment as she handed Shinji a slip  
of paper and said, "Oh yeah, by the way, this is your portion of the  
expenses. Don't worry about paying me now, you can give it to me next  
payday!"  
Shinji groaned. He was glad that Asuka had already left the  
apartment.  
  
-*-  
  
Shinji knew the party would be bad when Misato came out of her  
room dressed as a reindeer. Shinji thought that Misato's everyday  
outfits were very daring, and she wore even less at home, but the  
reindeer outfit... the horns... the tail... was, well... disturbing. He  
usually tried not to think about that sort of thing too much, especially  
about Misato, Asuka or Rei. There was too much potential for  
embarrassment, and he had been ridiculed enough as it was.  
Shinji figured that Misato must be pretty loaded, even by her  
standards, to wear that outfit. Her face was red enough to confirm his  
fears.  
"Shinji! What do you think?"  
Misato stood in the middle of the room posing.  
"Well?"  
Shinji looked at her, and then quickly looked at the floor. A slow  
blush began to spread across his cheeks. "Do you have to embarrass me  
like this?" He asked quietly.  
Misato leveled a frank stare at Shinji and said: "Why? Don't you  
like my outfit? Don't I look good in it?"  
"Well, yes... but..."  
Misato held Shinji's gaze as she slowly sauntered over to where he  
was standing. She slowly leaned forward until her eyes were looking  
directly into his, their faces only inches apart.  
"Shinji, Don't you like to look at me in it?" Misato's voice was  
low and sultry.  
Shinji's face reddened even more, it was all he could do to stare  
at the floor. "Why do you always do this to me?"  
Misato laughed and gave Shinji her brightest smile and ruffled his  
hair. "Because its fun!" With a toss of her hips she disappeared into  
the kitchen. "What! No more beer?! I guess I'll just have to drink  
something else until the liquor people arrive. Have you ever had egg nog  
Shinji? I've got a great recipe for it here, you'll love it! Especially  
with my *secret* ingredient. I bet you can't guess what it is!"  
Shinji groaned.  
  
-*-  
  
Once the party began, Shinji found himself paired up with Rei. He  
thought it was rather odd to begin with. After all, he was a quiet  
person, and Rei was a positive recluse. But the more he thought about  
it, the more he realized that there was really no one else at the party  
for either one of them to pal around with. Of course, Shinji's friends  
were present, but they were busy mooning around after Misato. Shinji  
didn't want to watch her flirt any more tonight. No one, it seemed, was  
safe.  
They had started out by trimming the tree. Some guests had brought  
ornaments as gifts, and several of the boxes Misato had pulled from the  
closet had ornaments in them. But, by the time all of these were hung,  
the tree still had several yawning bare spots. Then Misato had the  
bright idea of wrapping wire around the necks of her empty liquor  
bottles and hanging them from the tree.  
Ritsuko had pointed out that the heavy bottles would probably  
break the branches. But Misato had countered by retrieving a box of  
empty miniatures from her room.  
"Don't you ever throw away your empties, Misato?" Kaji asked.  
She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's what Shinji's for!"  
Surprisingly, the empty miniatures actually looked quite good on  
the tree. Misato insisted that the Americans did it all the time, but no  
one believed her.  
Eventually most of the guests left, leaving only Ritsuko, Kaji,  
Hikari, Rei and Shinji's friends.  
Asuka was stalking Kaji, who was trying his best to avoid her.  
Ritsuko seemed to be amused by the whole thing, and kept trying to tease  
Misato about losing Kaji to Asuka. So the merry band simply floated in  
circles around the room - Touji and Kensuke chasing Misato, who flirted  
with the boys and bantered with Ritsuko, who was protecting Kaji from  
Asuka. Shinji and Rei sat against the wall, watching the whole sordid  
affair unwind before their eyes.  
Shinji watched Rei as she followed the increasingly drunken  
movements of Misato with calm disinterest. When Asuka had returned with  
Rei, she had not expressed any opinion about the party. Rei had done as  
she was asked, and had helped set out the refreshments, but then she had  
taken a cup of punch and sat where she was now. No amount of inducement  
had led her toward conversation, and eventually the others had given up  
trying to talk to her. Asuka had been more derogatory than usual about  
Rei's attitude. But, as usual, Rei had simply ignored her. Now Shinji  
watched her closely, wondering about her silence.  
"Umm, are you enjoying the party Rei?"  
"No."  
"Really? Why not?"  
"I . . . dislike holidays."  
"Huh! You do?"  
"Yes."  
"Didn't your family celebrate any holidays?"  
"..."  
Shinji didn't think it was possible, but Rei seemed to draw even  
more into herself, exuding a cold aura which discouraged conversation.  
Shinji mentally kicked himself. Family was a sore point for the Eva  
pilots. He pressed on though, determined to talk to her.  
"My father never celebrated holidays with me. Never. Even my  
earliest memories of Christmas, with my mother, have no images of my  
father. It almost seemed like he didn't exist for me until my mother  
died. Not that he did anything after her death either." Shinji's voice  
was filled with bitterness and self-pity.  
Rei turned her head to look at Shinji. Her eyes softened a little,  
but otherwise her face showed no change in expression. He continued  
speaking.  
"The first Christmas I really celebrated was after I left home.  
That was a few years ago. The school I was at arranged for me to spend  
Christmas and New Years with the family of another student there. I was  
uncomfortable, watching people who love each other express their  
happiness, when I was alone. That's why I didn't want to celebrate  
Christmas this year - I didn't want to have and try to reach out to  
others, knowing that I'm not really a part of their family, that I'm an  
outsider."  
Rei considered Shinji, without changing her expression. "What  
about Major Katsuragi and Asuka?"  
Shinji noticed that she did not include herself. It was just like  
her to exclude herself from the group.  
"Well, I live with them. Misato has been very kind to me. And I  
even get along with Asuka some now, but they're not family. I'm not sure  
I've ever had a real family." Shinji placed his hands in his lap and  
stared at the floor glumly.  
Rei looked out at the party again. Misato was teasing Touji  
mercilessly, and Hikari's face was getting red as she tried to drag him  
away. Asuka had her hand over her eyes and shook her head as she stood  
by Hikari. When Rei spoke, her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.  
"My first memory is of Commander Ikari, watching me. Family makes  
me uncomfortable." Rei continued to watch the rest of the party goers  
while she spoke.  
Shinji stared at Rei. He didn't think that his father had real  
feelings for Rei. It might appear that he did, but Shinji's own bitter  
experience told him that his father only used people. Rei continued to  
watch the party, but despite her outburst, she betrayed no emotion.  
"I don't know what to say, Rei."  
"Then don't say anything."  
  
-*-  
  
Asuka was tired of chasing Kaji, and tired of watching Hikari get  
jealous of the attention Misato was giving Touji. She was more or less  
resigned to the fact that Kaji wasn't really interested in her as a  
woman. Why would he be when he had a woman like Misato to chase after?  
Not that Misato was all that hot. Men were just idiots. Tokyo 3 wasn't  
what she had expected.  
Bored, she wandered away from the main group. Then she saw Shinji  
and Rei sitting together under the mistletoe.  
Now, Asuka knew that they weren't sitting there on purpose. The  
two of them were so dense that they probably didn't even know that the  
mistletoe was there. Heck! The two of them probably didn't even know  
what mistletoe meant! Asuka thought about the situation for a minute,  
and struggled with her conscience. She wanted to make a scene. Shouldn't  
she feel some guilt about it? Probably, but she didn't! Oh well, she  
couldn't live with herself if she let this opportunity slip by.  
"Say," she said brightly, "when did this start?"  
Rei looked at her for a second, and then asked in a soft voice,  
"What do you mean?"  
"When did the two of you become an item, eh?"  
Shinji looked away from Rei quickly. "What?" His voice cracked as  
he spoke.  
"When did the two of you get so cozy? I mean, you've spent the  
whole night together, ignoring everyone so that you could sit alone in a  
quiet corner under the mistletoe."  
Shinji's face began to redden. "M-m-mistletoe?" He slowly looked  
up.  
Everyone else had started to gather around the three of them when  
they heard Asuka's first exclamation. Now they began to encourage Shinji  
and Rei to kiss. Misato was at the front of the pack. "Yea Shinji! Kiss  
'er! Go on! Be a man about it!" She slammed down the rest of her beer.  
"Kaji, gimme anudder beer!"  
Rei looked at Misato, who was listing dangerously, then Asuka.  
Asuka began to sweat under Rei's cool gaze. Deciding that she preferred  
to be in control, Asuka took the offensive again.  
"Well, what's the matter? Don't you believe in the holiday  
spirit?" Asuka arched her eyebrow and looked down her nose at Shinji and  
Rei, her hands on her hips.  
Rei's eyes bored into Asuka's. Then she turned toward Shinji and  
placed a hand on his cheek. His eyes began to dart from Rei to Asuka to  
Misato and back. Then Rei leaned forward and kissed him gently on the  
lips.  
Asuka snickered.  
Rei parted her lips slightly and pulled Shinji's body closer to  
hers. Shinji, who had been very still from the time Rei had placed her  
hand on his cheek until now, began to squirm and make muffled noises.  
Rei let her tongue slip into Shinji's mouth, where it soon encountered  
his. Shinji stopped squirming and stiffened. His eyes rolled up into his  
head as his mind shut down.  
Asuka stared at the two of them with her eyes wide and her mouth  
gaping open. "Arrrrrrgh! She's giving him tongue!" She yelled in  
disbelief.  
"Awww-right Rei! Yeah! Finally, some action!" Misato screamed,  
then passed out. Kaji laughed and caught her as collapsed, then he and  
Ritsuko began to carry Misato to her room.  
Rei broke the kiss and pulled back from Shinji.  
"Good night, Shinji."  
Rei's voice was soft, for his ears alone. Shinji could hear the  
emotion in her words, though her face betrayed none. Then she stood and  
left, ignoring the others.  
Asuka stood staring at Shinji, a look of pure amazement on her  
face. "The First Child is weird Shinji, very weird. Who would ever want  
to kiss you? I mean, you weren't very good when I did . . . " The gasps  
from behind made her stop, and she realized what she had just said, and  
whom she had said it in front of. She stared in horror at Hikari, who  
was trying to stifle a laugh.  
"Ach, Mein Gott!" Asuka screamed, then ran to her room and slammed  
the door shut.  
Touji and Kensuke stood around Shinji and slapped his shoulders.  
"Shinji! You've kissed them both, you dog! I never thought you had it in  
you!" Touji exclaimed.  
Kensuke couldn't hold in his excitement. "Yeah! Why didn't you  
tell us? That's quite a coup! I wish I'd brought my camera."  
Shinji ignored them both, and stared at the door Rei had left  
through.  
  
-*-  
  
Shinji sat alone in front of the Christmas tree. After Rei left,  
with Misato passed out in her room and Asuka barricaded in hers, the  
others had left. As usual, it had been up to him to see them out and  
thank them for coming, then clean up the mess everyone else had made.  
Still, staring at the tree shining softly in the corner made him think  
of the good things that were in his life, even if there were few enough  
of them.  
Despite the horror of the Angels, Shinji realized that these past  
months had been the best in his life. He could finally see the worth in  
himself, that he was valued by others. Although awkward at first, he  
really enjoyed living with Misato and Asuka. They did pick on him a lot.  
Misato was always making him cook and clean, and Asuka insulted him as  
much at the apartment as anywhere else. Yet Shinji thought that this  
must be what a real family was like. He had told Rei that he didn't  
consider the two to be his family, but now, as he thought back to the  
party, he realized that Misato, Asuka, and even Rei, might be the only  
family he would ever have.  
The thought made him sigh.  
The door buzzed as someone rang the bell. Shinji glanced at the  
clock, and wondered who it might be. He stood up and went to answer the  
door.  
  
-*-  
  
Rei walked slowly back to the door of Shinji's apartment. In the  
shadows she had waited until the others left, watching them disappear  
into the night. Then she had returned to the apartment. She rested her  
head against the apartment door and breathed slowly, a faint blush  
spreading across her cheeks. In her mind's eye, images flashed.  
  
Rei, kissing Shinji.  
-Why?-  
Asuka, staring down at Rei.  
*The Second Child.*  
Rei, on a stretcher in front of Eva-01.  
*You are expendable.*  
A woman, kneeling over Rei, her hands on Rei's throat.  
*You can be replaced.*  
Blurred bodies, floating in yellow fluid.  
-Can I die?-  
Students at the school, laughing.  
-If I cannot die, can I live?-  
Shinji, staring at Rei as she leaves.  
-If I cannot live, can I love?-  
Commander Ikari, smiling at Rei.  
-If I cannot love, can I be loved?-  
Dr. Akagi, standing behind Commander Ikari.  
-What is love?-  
A blurred woman, holding her child.  
Misato, crying into Shinji's empty plugsuit.  
Hikari, handing a box lunch to Touji.  
Rei, kissing Shinji.  
-Is this love?-  
Rei, standing behind Touji on the school roof.  
-What is love?-  
*Love is when Two are One.*  
*One Body.*  
*One Mind.*  
*One Soul.*  
Eva-00, standing in its berth.  
-Do I love Eva?-  
*You are One with Eva.*  
Rei, kissing Shinji.  
-I will be One with Shinji.-  
*Yes.*  
*We will be One with Shinji.*  
  
Rei rang the buzzer on the apartment door and waited.  
  
-*-  
  
When he opened the door, Shinji was surprised to see Rei standing  
at the rail, looking at him. Rei's eyes seemed to be glowing in the dim  
half-light coming from inside the apartment. Her eyes locked with his,  
and Shinji could not look away.  
"Ahhh . . . "  
Shinji swallowed. He could feel his hands trembling. Rei's stare  
held his eyes.  
"Oh, ummm . . . " Shinji could feel chills running up his spine  
from Rei's gaze. "C-come in . . . "  
Rei held Shinji's eyes for several long seconds. Then she walked  
past Shinji into the apartment.  
  
-*-  
  
Rei stood in front of the tree, watching the blinking lights. She  
could hear Shinji in the kitchen. Soon he reappeared, carrying two cups  
of steaming tea. He handed one to Rei, then sat on the couch.  
Rei sipped her tea. "It's good."  
"Thanks. I've gotten a lot of practice in the kitchen recently.  
Misato and Asuka don't cook much." Shinji looked at Rei, who was still  
staring at the tree. He placed his cup back on the saucer and held it in  
his lap. He watched the steam rise from the tea.  
Rei looked out the window. In the crisp winter sky she could just  
make out the sparkle of stars over the glow from the city.  
"Ummm, what did you want?" Shinji asked.  
Rei still stared intently out the window. "What am I?"  
Shinji watched Rei quietly. Her voice was calm and impenetrable,  
as always. "What do you mean?"  
"What am I, to *you*, Shinji Ikari?"  
Shinji was getting worried about what Rei's question. It seemed  
like the conversation was sure to result in his embarrassment. "You're a  
friend, Rei."  
"A friend?" There was still no change in Rei's voice.  
"Y-yes."  
Rei turned and looked at Shinji, meeting his eyes with hers. "What  
is friendship?"  
Now Shinji was unnerved. "What do you mean 'what is friendship'?"  
Rei's gaze continued to bore into Shinji. He thought that he had  
never seen Rei look so... hungry?  
Rei spoke, in her usual voice, but did not meet Shinji's eyes.  
"Can friendship be... love?"  
Shinji stared at Rei. He was worried about this conversation. He  
didn't think his father would approve of this. Shinji stood and  
nervously wiped his hands on his pants. "I'm sorry, I don't  
understand..."  
Rei walked forward until she stood in front of Shinji.  
"Love is..."  
She wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"One Body..."  
She rested her head on his shoulder. She could feel Shinji  
tremble.  
"One Mind..."  
Rei smiled her small smile, and whispered into his ear.  
"One Soul..."  
Shinji could not stop trembling. He could feel Rei's body pressed  
against his. He slowly lifted his arms and placed them around Rei's  
waist. She squeezed him tightly as she softly spoke.  
"We will be One, Shinji."  
Rei lifted her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. Shinji was  
really worried now. "Ummm... Rei..."  
Rei pulled Shinji's head down and kissed him deeply.  
Shinji was stiff at first, but gradually relaxed and began to  
return Rei's kiss. After a long while, Rei broke off the kiss and took  
Shinji's hand. He still trembled, but followed her willingly.  
  
  
-*-  
  
Asuka silently slid her door shut and fumed. First Kaji chased  
after Misato. Then 'Wonder Girl' actually kissed that idiot Shinji, and  
now this.  
"Asuka, " she thought, "your life is crap."  
  
-*-  
  
When Misato dragged herself out of bed the next morning, she had a  
terrible hangover. "Why did I let myself go off and drink like that last  
night?"  
Misato pulled a housecoat on, and stumbled into the hall. "A hot  
bath and an ice cold beer are what I need," she thought to herself.  
She walked to the kitchen and pulled the refrigerator door open.  
She could see that Shinji had already wrapped the party leftovers and  
put them away. "Damn, I hate neat freaks," Misato thought to herself.  
She took a beer and shuffled toward the bath, still only half-awake.  
She saw Shinji coming out of the bath drying his hair. When he saw  
Misato, he quickly slid the door shut behind him.  
"G-g-good morning," he stuttered.  
Not in the mood to talk, Misato grunted and waited for him to move  
out of her way. When he still stood frozen in place, she placed her free  
hand on his shoulder and started pushing until she could get to the  
door.  
"Let that be a lesson to you Shinji," Misato said. "Never come  
between me and my bath when I have a hangover." She turned and entered  
the bath, shutting the door behind her, ignoring Shinji's wide eyes and  
trembling body.  
"Good morning, Major."  
Misato screamed and spun around when she heard the disembodied  
voice floating out of the steam. She saw a shape emerging from the mist.  
The figure paused and looked at her intently as she pressed her back to  
the tile wall.  
"Are you feeling well?" the blurry figure asked in an emotionless  
voice. Misato just nodded quickly. The figure watched for another few  
seconds before exiting the bath.  
Misato slumped down against the wall and sipped her beer. She must  
have had a *lot* more to drink last night than she thought. She could've  
sworn that was Rei!  
Half a beer later, as she relaxed in the steaming water of the  
bath, Misato decided that she had just imagined the entire affair.  
Rei wouldn't have stayed last night.  
Would she?  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Steve Pardue  
spardue@zebra.net  



	2. The Day After

Poster's Notes: Okay I just foun Chapter 2 of this. It divulges a little from  
the first story but I still like it. Post some R let me know what you think.  
If its popular I may try to continue this alternate timeline on my own in later  
chapters..   
  
Author's Notes:  
This is the second chapter of my as yet untitled Eva story. The first  
chapter is "Misato's Christmas Party". If you have questions about  
what has gone before, check the RAAC archive at:  
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Evangelion/eva.misatos  
-chirstmas-party.gz  
or just email me at spardue@zebra.net, say the magic word, and I'll be  
glad to forward a copy to you.  
  
C&C is welcome and appreciated.  
  
Other uninteresting author comments at the end of the story.  
A word of warning: I did not mark this story lime, but the word "sex"  
is used at least once and there is some fairly obvious hinting going  
on, but pretty tame stuff compared to what I ususally see labeled lime.  
Use caution if you are offended by this type of stuff.  
  
As always, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gianax, etc...  
  
The Day After Misatos Christmas Party  
  
======================================  
  
Misato stood beside Maya at the console. Before the two women a  
large window overlooking the eva cages allowed them to view the  
proceedings below. Technicians in orange jumpsuits scrambled across  
the three giant robots, connecting external sensors and verifying that  
the evas were ready for the upcoming tests. On platforms high above  
the floor other technicians were busy preparing the entry plugs for  
insertion. Soon all of the preparations were completed and the workers  
began to clear the area.  
  
Ritsuko entered the control room and approached Misato and  
Maya. "So, are we ready?"  
  
Maya looked up at her mentor and nodded. "Yes Ma'am. Section  
J just reported all sensors placed and the gantry cleared. We have  
telemetry from all monitoring stations and the board is green."  
Ritsuko looked at Misato. She was a little surprised that Misato  
had made it in at all this morning. She had expected her to still be  
passed out from the party the previous night. "What about the pilots?"  
Misato rubbed her hands across her face and grimaced. "Shinji  
and Asuka are in the lockers. Rei's already on her way up." Misato  
looked at Ritsuko and smirked. "Shinji and Asuka had a little blowup  
this morning, you might want to watch out during the tests."  
  
"Just wonderful. You do realize that these tests are very  
important? Shinji usually manages to stay calm, but if Asuka loses her  
temper we might not get any usable data on her today." Ritsuko  
frowned as she spoke, trying to decide if she should reschedule the  
test. It was expensive to set up and run the full mobility  
synchronization suite, but they needed real-life performance data  
outside of battle to be able to extrapolate realistic figures from the  
laboratory trials. And the Commander had been very insistent about  
sticking to the time table. Delaying the tests would severely  
compromise the schedule, not to mention the attendant apologies and  
reports which she would have to make. "I guess it doesn't matter.  
We'll just make the most of it. What set the two of them off this time?"  
  
Misato smirked. "I'm not completely sure, but I think it might  
have been Rei kissing Shinji at the party."  
  
Maya and Ritsuko smiled.  
  
-*-  
  
Asuka scowled as she pulled her plugsuit up over her shoulders.  
She had been scowling all morning. She hadn't slept well at all last  
night. And it was that idiot Shinji's fault.  
  
First he had kissed Rei.  
  
Then he had embarrassed her in front of Hikari. He really  
shouldn't have made her say the things he made her say last night.  
  
Then...ooohhh... Rei... the... the... witch!  
  
Asuka hated Japanese houses. Those damn walls didn't stop noise  
at all! At least 'Wonder Girl' was gone by the time she had left her  
room. She couldn't have made it through breakfast otherwise. And  
what did Shinji think he was doing with that goofy grin on his face  
all morning?  
  
The eva pilot slammed her locker shut and pressed the switch on  
her right wrist to seal her plugsuit.  
  
-*-  
  
Shinji was in the process of sealing his plugsuit as well. When he  
heard the sound of Asuka's suit contracting he looked up at the  
partition. He sighed. If Asuka kept up like she was, Misato or Dr.  
Akagi would know something had happened.  
  
He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the idea of last night  
becoming common knowledge. Shinji knew he would never hear the  
end of it from anyone, from his father all the way down to Touji and  
Kensuke.  
  
Shinji was pretty sure that he and Rei had crossed some line last  
night. Things couldn't go back to the way they were.  
He was also pretty sure that he could live with that. He was  
certain he couldn't live without it.  
  
He leaned his head back and gazed at the ceiling.  
  
"Wow..." he murmured, as he relived the experience again.  
  
Unfortunately for Shinji, that was how Asuka found him fifteen  
minutes later.  
  
-*-  
  
The elevator ride was quickly becoming the longest and most  
painful of Shinji's life. Asuka stood facing him. Normally Shinji  
didn't rate Asuka's attention, but today, he was on the receiving end   
of it all.  
  
It was more than a little unnerving.  
  
Asuka, for her part, let her anger boil. She didn't care about  
Shinji(jerk) or the 'Wonder Girl'(witch). She didn't even care what  
Misato(tease) or Kaji(bastard) or Touji(jock) or Kensuke(geek) or  
Hikari(traitor) or Commander Ikari(devil) or...  
Shinji watched in amazement as Asuka appeared to get even  
angrier than she had been before. And he hadn't said a word -- hadn't  
even moved -- since he'd entered the elevator!  
  
"A-Asuka? Whats--"  
  
Asuka exploded in Shinji's face. "You pervert! What did you  
*do* last night?"  
  
Shinji's face began to turn red. He nervously took a step back.  
  
"Wh-what do you mean--"  
  
"What do I mean? What do you mean, what do I mean?! I know  
*she* was there!" Asuka backed Shinji into a corner and grabbed as  
much of his plugsuit as she could grip in her fists. As she spoke she  
slammed Shinji against the side of the elevator for emphasis.  
  
"You two kept me up all night! Do you know how thin those  
damn Japanese walls are? How could you? Why?"  
  
Asuka slammed Shinji against the wall again.  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
Again the wall.  
  
"Why her?"  
  
A chime sounded as the door slid open.  
  
"Why her, damn it?"  
  
Asuka pulled Shinji forward and was about to smash him against  
the wall again when a hand grabbed hr wrist.  
  
Asuka turned and saw Rei, dressed in her plugsuit, gripping her  
wrist and preventing her from venting her rage.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Asuka struggled against Rei's grip.  
  
Rei released Asuka's wrist. Asuka dropped Shinji, grabbed her  
hair with both hands and pulled, screaming in frustration. She shoved  
past Rei and stalked down the platform towards her entry plug. Rei  
and Shinji watched her go.  
  
"Thanks, Rei. I don't think she was going to stop."  
  
Rei turned back to Shinji and smiled. It was enough to make  
Shinji's heart stop and his knees quiver, even though most people  
wouldn't even recognize that she had changed her expression.  
  
"R-Rei. About last night. I..."  
  
Rei put one finger on his lips, and took his hand into her's. Her  
smile soothed his mind until he was once again at peace. Gently she  
pulled him out of the elevator.  
  
-*-  
  
The three evas bounded across the barren landscape, performing  
the maneuvers specified by Ritsuko. The blue and purple evas seemed  
to be dancing to a ballet, their movements smooth and graceful,  
economical and powerful -- and perfectly coordinated.  
  
The red eva tripped over a powerline and fell on two substations,  
cutting off power to a quarter of Tokyo-3 for the better part of two  
days.  
  
-*-  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
Ritsuko slammed her clipboard down on the desk.  
  
"These numbers won't do us any good at all. All three pilots  
performed so far outside expected parameters that the test was  
meaningless. We'll have to retest them all in the lab before we can  
even see if these numbers mean anything, much less whether we have  
to rerun the entire series."  
Misato shrugged noncommittally.  
  
Maya was furiously punching her keyboard, manipulating the  
graphs on the screen before her.  
  
"Dr. Akagi, look at this." Maya pointed to one of the graphs.  
  
"Rei and Shinji both improved on their best scores by more than  
15%!" She punched another key, superimposing Rei and Shinji's  
graphs. "And look, for the duration of the run they never varied from  
each other's synch ratio by more than 2.3%. That's 3.6 better than  
Shinji and Asuka managed for their synchronized attack."  
  
Ritsuko and Misato both leaned over Maya and examined the  
graph. Ritsuko punched several keys, bringing up reference points and  
data for comparison. "What could account for this?"  
  
Shooting a glance sideways, Ritsuko saw Misato staring at the  
ceiling, obviously trying to avoid eye contact. "Maya, go down to the  
control room and get the staff working on Asuka's data. I'll decide  
what to do about the other two pilots."  
  
"Yes ma'am." Maya left the room.  
  
"All right, Misato. Out with it."  
  
"What do you mean 'out with it'?"  
  
"I mean, tell me what your trying so desperately to hide."  
  
Misato gave Ritsuko a haughty look. "I'm sure *I* don't know  
what you're talking about."  
  
"Oh, come on! I've known you too long for you to pull this on  
me."  
  
"Okay, okay. But you've got to keep this quiet."  
  
"So, tell me already."  
  
"Last night..."  
  
Ritsuko started tapping her foot. "Yes, yes?"  
  
"...Rei might have stayed over."  
  
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Misato looked at her friend with embarrassment. "You know?  
  
*Stayed Over*?"  
  
"Oh. Oh! No! You don't mean..." Now Ritsuko looked at her  
friend with disgust. "You have got to be kidding me. They're only  
fourteen."  
  
"Yeah, well, are you telling me that fourteen isn't old enough to  
get the itch?"  
  
"No. I'm telling you I'm having a hard time seeing Rei doing  
something like that."  
  
"Granted. I have a hard time seeing Shinji staying conscious for  
it myself. But the facts add up."  
  
"What 'facts'? Oh god -- tell me you didn't tape them?"  
  
"Eh, no. But... the kiss last night..."  
  
Ritsuko nodded. "Mmm-hmmm..."  
  
"Then this morning, Shinji came out of the bath..."  
  
"Ooooh - suspicious behavior."  
  
"Shut up or you're not going to hear the rest!"  
  
"All right, go on."  
  
"Well, Shinji came out, I went in, and then..."  
  
"And then?"  
  
"I might have talked to Rei in the bath."  
  
Ritsuko stared at Misato. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I was, eh, pretty hung over."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
"Yeah, and I was kinda drinking a beer this morning, you see?"  
  
"Quite. I'm surprised you had any alcohol left in the apartment."  
  
"Eh, yeah. Anyway, this blurry form asked me if I was okay and  
then I screamed, and -- hey! Stop laughing or I'm leaving right now!"  
  
Ritsuko fell out of her chair, but kept laughing anyway. "B-blurry  
form?"  
  
Misato stormed out the exit. "All right, that's it. I'm out of  
here."  
  
-*-  
  
Rei floated, her body buoyed by the golden fluid within the  
cylinder. Above Rei, the cylinder disappeared into a giant mass of  
tubing and brightly flashing lights. Rei's eyes were shut. She could  
feel the gentle probings in her mind. They were calling to her again. It  
was time. Opening her eyes slightly wider, she scanned the room one last  
time before she shut her eyes completely and let herself slip into  
their embrace.  
  
Rei, kissing Shinji.  
  
-I am One with Shinji.-  
  
*Yes. We are One with Shinji.*  
  
Asuka, holding Shinji against the elevator.  
  
*The Second Child.*  
  
-She desires Shinji.-  
  
Rei, holding Asuka's fist.  
  
-She is not One with Shinji.-  
  
Eva-02, running.  
  
*She is One with Eva.*  
  
Eva-01, charging an angel.  
  
*Shinji is One with Eva.*  
  
Eva-00, standing in its gantry.  
  
*You are One with Eva.*  
  
An entry plug, suspended in a darkened room.  
  
*We are One with Eva.*  
  
An image of the second impact.  
  
*All will be One.*  
  
Rei could hear someone talking, their voice distorted by the thick  
liquid. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Commander Ikari  
watching her. Dr. Akagi stood behind him, eyes narrowed, watching  
him watch her. As they spoke, she smiled at them. 'Yes,' she thought.  
  
'All will be One.'  
  
-*-  
  
Ritsuko walked into the chamber briskly, barely keeping her  
anger under control. He was with *her*. Again.  
  
"Yes Doctor?"  
  
"I think we have a situation, Commander." Ritsuko tried to keep  
her emotions from showing in her voice.  
  
"Does this concern Rei and Shinji's performance today?"  
  
"Yes. It seems likely that. . . Rei and Shinji have. . . carried  
their relationship beyond... well, to the next level." Rei, floating in the  
column of LCL, seemed to smile at Ritsuko as she spoke. It was  
unnerving.  
  
Commander Ikari turned to look at her, and smirked. "There is  
no need to be so circumspect with me. You are saying that they have  
had sex."  
  
"I believe so, sir."  
  
"We never anticipated this situation. I'm worried about Rei's  
continued performance of her. . . additional duties if she is  
romantically involved."  
  
"That is a problem, sir."  
  
"But it would also be a problem to separate them at this point."  
  
The Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Separating them could  
cause as many problems as letting them continue. We cannot afford to  
lose Rei at this juncture. Can we use the results from today?"  
  
"Yes sir. But we're going to have to run another series of  
synchronization tests on Shinji and Rei. Their performance today  
destroyed our model." Ritsuko looked at the girl, who was still  
smiling at her.  
  
The Commander nodded. "I understand. We would have had to  
run the tests again soon anyway. Proceed."  
  
". . ."  
  
"There is something else?"  
  
"Well, sir, Rei and Shinji, they are only fourteen, and given Rei's  
genes, isn't it a little. . ."  
  
"I didn't think you were so squeamish, Doctor." The Commander  
directed a piercing gaze at her. "You certainly never seem so  
concerned with niceties when you are with me." He paused to watch  
her blush. "In any case, their performance increase will more than  
justify allowing the relationship to continue. Does anyone else know?"  
  
"Major Katsuragi, probably Asuka as well."  
  
"Very well. Try to keep this quiet. No need to incur additional  
risks."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"And Doctor?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Add a contraceptive to Rei's prescriptions. Don't let her know."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
As Ritsuko was exiting the chamber, he spoke again.  
  
"Ritsuko."  
  
She paused, but did not turn to look at him. Instead she stared  
straight ahead.  
  
"I'll expect you tonight, at the usual time."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
-*-  
  
Asuka lay on her bed. She wore a loose fitting T-shirt, which  
didn't quite reach her waist, and a pair of skin tight exercise pants  
which came down to mid-calf.. Her legs were crossed at the knees and  
she idly kicked her legs as she waited for the sound of the door  
opening.  
  
Shinji thought he could get away with this betrayal, did he? Well,  
she'd show him. She had even kissed the jerk, and what did he do in  
return? Run off with Rei, the tramp. She'd get hers too. But  
tonight... tonight was Shinji's turn. She could not tolerate anybody taking  
something that was hers. Finally, she heard the door open, and then  
the footsteps of someone walking up the hallway.  
  
"Hello? Are you here Misato? Asuka?" Shinji's voice could be  
heard from the other room. Asuka stood up and brushed her shirt to straighten   
it. Looking in the mirror, she arranged her hair so that it was just so. She stood  
running her finger along the neck of the T-shirt, staring at her  
reflection intently. Slowly she pulled and worked at the neck until it  
slipped halfway across one shoulder. She leaned forward, examining  
her image carefully, checking to make sure that she showed enough to  
catch Shinji's eye but not enough to give the jerk the wrong idea  
about her.  
  
Finally she smiled. The corners of her mouth slowly pulled back  
to reveal her gleaming teeth. The effect, however was ruined by the  
tick in her right eye and the fact that the smile kept slipping into a  
smirk. After a minute or so of practice she gave up, steeled herself,  
and left her room.  
  
Asuka could hear noises coming from the kitchen. It sounded like  
someone putting away groceries. She walked to the kitchen door,  
making sure her saunter showed her body to maximum effect. At the  
door, she leaned casually against the frame, watching Shinji nosing  
around in the refrigerator. He was kneeling in front of it, moving  
things around inside. Asuka leaned forward, quickly looking down to  
double check her exposure before she cleared her throat.  
  
When he heard Asuka clear her throat, Shinji turned away from  
the refrigerator to see who it was. He was surprised to find Asuka's  
face not six inches from his head. Her chin was about level with his  
forehead, but her eyes were watching Shinji's face intently. Because  
of this, Asuka saw all of his reactions.  
  
His first reaction was to look away from her gaze. Unfortunately,  
in their current position this meant Shinji was now looking straight  
down her shirt. From her position, Asuka could see his gaze moving  
away from her eyes, down her face, across her throat and then. . .  
bingo! She couldn't quite suppress a chuckle. She reached out with one  
hand and lifted his chin with one finger, so that he was looking into  
her eyes again.  
  
"Shinji. . . I'm bored." Asuka used her other hand to grab a fistful  
of Shinji's shirt and lift him to his feet. He could barely support  
himself, and was forced to lean against the wall to keep from falling  
to the floor. Asuka pulled Shinji towards her, leaning in toward him.  
  
Let's see Rei compete with this, she thought, and smirked.  
  
Just as her lips were about to reach Shinji's, the doorbell rang.  
  
Shinji squirmed out of her grasp and ran for the door. Asuka followed  
him and leaned against the entrance to the hall, smirk still plastered  
across her face.  
  
Shinji opened the door to reveal Rei. Asuka noted she still wore  
her school uniform. As Shinji got his jacket and walked out the door,  
Ayanami stared at Asuka, her face expressionless. Asuka met her  
gaze, her smirk growing into a broad smile, stretching across the  
width of her face. 'Have your fun while you can, First Child', she  
thought. Asuka turned and returned to her room, plotting her next  
attempt at conquest.  
  
-*- [1]  
  
Misato was relaxing in her room. It had been a very boring night.  
  
Without Shinji around to tease, and with Asuka locked in her room,  
there had just been no one to play with, except Pen-pen, who refused  
to come out of his refrigerator.  
  
She heard the sound of the apartment door opening, followed by  
the sound of people in the kitchen. Misato crawled across the floor to  
the door. There she carefully slid it open enough to see the kitchen.  
  
The sound of Shinji's voice could be heard, although it was too low to  
make out what he was saying. Another voice, Rei's, responded.  
  
The light in the kitchen went out, and Misato smiled as she saw  
that the first person to come into view was Rei. She carefully slid  
the door shut and lay in wait for her entertainment.  
  
She heard the sound of Rei going down the hall, followed by the  
door to Shinjis room opening. Then she heard Shinjis careful  
footsteps. Misato smiled and perched on the bed, beer in hand. When  
the footsteps drew even with her door, she pounced.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
There was a moments hesitation before he answered. "Yes?"  
  
He sounded nervous.  
  
"Come in here a minute."  
  
Shinji's slippered feet padded up to her door, which slid open a  
few inches before he paused, hesitant to enter.  
  
"It's all right. I'm decent." Misato sighed, and swigged her beer.  
  
'Will he ever let me live that one teensy little mix-up down?' she  
asked herself.  
  
Shinji walked in, after peeking nervously around the door.  
  
"Shinji. . ." Misato grimaced while she gathered her thoughts,  
  
and leaned back against the wall. She took a deep breath. "Shinji,  
that wasnt Rei I just saw, was it?"  
  
"Er. . . ah. . . um. . ." That, coupled with the blush that  
blossomed on his face, was all she needed for an answer.  
  
"Shinji. . ." Misato sighed. "Shinji. . . just be careful." She  
waited for the stumbling denials that she was sure would come, but   
didn't.  
  
"Shinji. . . you can go now."  
  
Shinji turned to face the door.  
  
"Treat her right, O.K.?" She grinned at him.  
  
He left quickly, his blush beginning to look permanent.  
  
'Now,' She thought, 'the 64,000,000 yen question: who started it  
off?' She shook her head. Some things were too weird to think about.  
  
On one beer, anyway.  
  
======================  
  
[1] This portion was provided to me by CMHARRIS@glam.ac.uk, I  
have modified his original copy to fit into the story. Thanks, guy.  
  
======================  
  
Well, heres another chapter, for what good it does. Im not sure that  
2-3 chapters a year a story makes, but real life intrudes far too  
frequently for me to write the way I would like to.  
  
I think this one has some problems, especially in Asukas  
characterization. Im also trying to start hinting at a darker (but not  
evil) side to Rei, although I think it may be a little too light. I  
hope  
  
ya'llcan help me smooth the problems out. Let me know what you think.  
  
P.S: I know the title sucks, but I promise that the next one will not  
be titled "The Day Following The Day After Misatos Christmas Party".  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Steve Pardue  
  
spardue@zebra.net  



End file.
